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CONDUCTOR TEMPERATURESThe Dynamics of PCB Trace Heating and Cooling, and a Call to ActionAfter rigorous study, the authors have identified the major parameters responsible for trace heating and cooling, and quantified the effects of many of them. Here they highlight the most important parameters, illustrate their individual effects on trace heating and cooling, and then suggest two areas where additional research is needed.by Douglas G. Brooks, Ph.D., and Dr. Johannes Adam

HIGH-SPEED DESIGNPreparing to Simulate DDR Memory Bus InterfacesIn order to increase the odds of a functional board on the first pass and reduce the number of spins required, it is usually wise to simulate the design before fabricating the board. That said, the time required to set up, run and analyze the simulation also needs to be fast enough to make the investment in simulation worthwhile. How to speed up the process of designing a functioning system.by Nitin Bhagwath

SURFACE FINISHESExtreme Long-Term Printed Circuit Board Surface Finish Solderability AssessmentCould the surface finishes of a group of test specimens, found some 20 years after their fabrication, hold up to today’s testing measures? And what impact does finish thickness have on future solderability?by Gerard O’Brien and Dave Hillman

CONSORTIAiNEMI Roadmap Gets Industry AlignedIndustry leaders are fast at work on the iNEMI 2017 Roadmap, the biennial tome that serves as an answer to the ongoing question of what’s next for manufacturing technology. And while other industry efforts to chart the future are losing steam, iNEMI’s are still going strong.by Mike Buetow